Alright! Here we go. It’s my annual Golden Globes wrap up!
First of all, I’d just like to tha-
Geez Louise. That’s what it felt like all night. Can you allow me to rant for just a minute here? I know we have a TON to get to, but it always seems like the big winners get cut off early because they’re at the end of the night and the ceremony has already gone on too long. I know Guillermo del Toro made a joke when he was giving his Best Director speech, but it really did feel like he was given two seconds to speak before they played the music.
The ceremony felt LONG as I was watching it. I was ready to make a joke on Twitter that if I started the Godfather trilogy, would it end before the Globes? To be fair though, it was barely over three hours. That’s actually not bad. Alright, onto the actual show.
I go on this rant every year. The Golden Globes are the JV Oscars. I recognize it’s one of the big award ceremonies of the year, but in many ways, it feels like a pre-season. While they’re a decent barometer at sensing who the Oscar winners will be, it doesn’t mean a whole lot in the grand scheme of things. Aaron Taylor-Johnson won for Best Supporting Actor last year for Nocturnal Animals. I bet none of you remembered that until he came up on stage.
We’ll get to all the film winners, what it means for the Oscars, and obviously talk about the big shocker of the night:
Coco winning Best Animated Feature.
Before we get to the winners though, as we always do, some quick thoughts on the ceremony, which barely clocked in at under The Godfather Part II’s runtime. Small victories.
The Theme of the Night
There’s no way I can begin without mentioning the theme of the night. This was obviously a year in which Hollywood was dominated by sexual assault charges, and this topic was front and center at the Globes.
I always criticize the Golden Globes for being a drunken mess where celebrities embarrass themselves with obnoxious demeanor. Not this time. The idea for everyone to dress in black was very powerful. Everyone from the host to Oprah to Barbara Streisand at the very end was extremely well spoken. They said what they had to say when it came to speaking out, and recognizing more female directors, and they said it well.
That leads us to the Host of the night.
Seth Meyers Did a Good Monologue and was Never Heard from Again
Was I blown away by Seth Meyers? No, but I’m glad he was hosting and not Ricky Gervais, who would have gone off the rails. Seth Meyers was harsh on the obvious targets, as he should be. The jokes never got out of control though and were very poignant. Willem Dafoe’s reaction was pretty funny.
The going out to the audience for jokes bit fell flat, but Amy Poehler saved it.
My favorite joke may have been this:
“Oprah Winfrey is receiving the Cecil B. DeMille Award tonight. What a tremendous honor for Cecil B. DeMille.”
That’s funny.
In all honesty though, my favorite part of the monologue may have been the end when Seth Meyers actually got serious. When he talked about all the hard working behind the scenes people, that was pretty cool. And he ended it with a funny PA joke (“Jeremy Paramount”).
We always make such a big deal about award show hosts, but after the monologue, they pretty much go away. Aside from a few introductions, Seth just let the show speak for itself.
I give him a B+.
Other Quick Hits before we get to the Awards…
I Am Now Seth Rogen’s Biggest Fan
I’ve been a critic of Seth Rogen’s career for a long time. I just never found the guy very funny, and it would always drive me nuts at how many movie roles he’d get. Between Sausage Party in 2016, and his work in The Disaster Artist last year, this guy has really turned me.
He also gave one of my favorite speeches of the night.
Whenever a Best Picture nominee is introduced, it’s always the most scripted, paint by numbers introduction of all time. What Seth Rogen did when he introduced The Disaster Artist for Best Comedy truly warmed my heart. He gave a personal anecdote about The Room. In listening to him talk about The Disaster Artist, you can tell there was a genuine passion in making that film.
The Disaster Artist is one of the best movies of 2017, and now I know why – this film was very personal to everyone who worked on it. That’s awesome.
Ewan McGregor Won an Award
I don’t cover the TV side, and I’ve yet to see Fargo, but I just want to express how awesome it is that Ewan McGregor won something.
That guy rules all.
Oprah’s Speech
There is absolutely nothing else I could possibly add to this. No one can command a room like Oprah Winfrey.
ONTO THE AWARDS…
Best Supporting Actor (Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri)
I won’t rule out Christopher Plummer (All the Money in the World) for a win, and Willem Dafoe (The Florida Project) and Richard Jenkins (The Shape of Water) I suppose have small chances, but this is looking like a lock for Rockwell come Oscar time.
He absolutely deserves it.
Rockwell’s performance in Three Billboards is layered as hell, and as good as everyone else was in this category, Rockwell kind of blows them out of the water. It’s important to note he may be competing with fellow co-star Woody Harrelson as well, which could be interesting.
Rockwell has been one of Hollywood’s most underrated actors, so it’s great to see him honored like this.
Best Original Score (Alexandre Desplat, The Shape of Water)
I’ll have more to say about The Shape of Water later. As much as I think this film is overrated, Desplat’s score is not. It’s probably the best element to the entire film. While Hans Zimmer (Dunkirk) provides a minor challenge, Desplat has a lock on this category right now.
Best Original Song (“This Is Me,” The Greatest Showman)
You could fill the entire list with songs from The Greatest Showman. Maybe something different will be nominated come Oscar time, but whatever it is, a song from that movie will win the award. The only potential spoiler could be “Remember Me” from Coco, I guess.
Best Actor – Motion Picture Comedy/Musical (James Franco, The Disaster Artist)
James Franco gave my favorite performance of 2017, so I was obviously thrilled to see him win this award. And much like Seth Rogen, you can tell how much passion there was in making this movie. Franco’s speech in general was fantastic.
The only challenger to Franco in this category was Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out). I know people really wanted to see him win this, and he’s great to be sure, but Franco was going to be tough to beat here. Franco and Kaluuya are the only names in this category who will transfer over when it comes to Best Actor Oscar nominations.
Best Animated Feature (Coco)
Seriously, this was like Pixar playing Madden on Rookie Mode. Nothing else had a chance here. The Boss Baby? Start engraving the Oscar now. The end.
Best Supporting Actress (Allison Janney, I, Tonya)
This will be your closest Oscar race when it comes to the four acting categories. I thought Laurie Metcalf (Lady Bird) was going to take this, but her and Janney are neck and neck right now. Both are incredibly impressive and deserving.
Another dark horse come Oscar time could be Holly Hunter for The Big Sick, a movie that was completely ignored by the Globes, but hasn’t been by the Guilds. Keep your eye on that one.
Best Screenplay (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri)
This is easily one of the most fascinating categories come Oscar time. It’s going to be a battle royale between Three Billboards and Lady Bird for Best Original Screenplay. Let’s also not forget that Get Out and The Big Sick are also legit challengers. There’s no doubt though that Three Billboards has a slight edge, despite the fact it wasn’t eligible for the WGA.
Aaron Sorkin lucked out, as Molly’s Game will be competing for Best Adapted Screenplay. It will still be challenged by Call me by Your Name and The Disaster Artist, but in a weaker category, Sorkin is the clear front-runner.
Best Foreign Language Film (In the Fade)
I want to try and see these movies before the Oscars, but I just assumed The Square was going to win this. I also hear great buzz about A Fantastic Woman, so we’ll see.
Best Director (Guillermo del Toro, The Shape of Water)
Yup. I’m perfectly calm. Everything’s fine. It’s just the Globes, Dan. Relax. It’s not the big prize. Let’s all just take it easy.
Yup. Perfectly calm. Nolan is going to win at the Oscars. It’s fine.
Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy/Musical (Saoirse Ronan, Lady Bird)
This must have been razor thin between Ronan and Margot Robbie for I, Tonya. When I did my Best & Worst in Film 2017 piece, it was extremely close for me as well. Both the Globes and I made the same call. Ronan barely over Robbie.
There is no wrong answer here. Both give phenomenal performances, and while McDormand seems to have a firm grasp on the Best Actress award, she didn’t have to face off against Ronan or Robbie at the Globes. We’ll get to that later.
Best Motion Picture Comedy/Musical (Lady Bird)
With the exception of The Greatest Showman, which is still good, this crop of nominees was like the NFC South this year in Football. Lady Bird’s win is extraordinarily impressive.
One of the big takeaways of the night is the frustration that Get Out went away with nothing. If you look at the awards it lost to though (James Franco, Lady Bird), this was simply just a case of how competitive the field was.
While Get Out went away empty handed, its Oscar chances are still intact.
While it was only the Golden Globes, this was a statement win for Lady Bird. In a tough field to predict this year, Lady Bird could take the whole damn thing at the Oscars.
Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama (Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour)
Gary Oldman isn’t a lock, but he’s going to be real tough to dethrone in this category. I’d imagine Franco and Kaluuya are going to kick out Denzel Washington and Tom Hanks when the Best Actor choices get combined. I know that’s crazy to say about both those actors, but nobody cares for Roman J. Israel, Esq., and while Hanks was impressive in The Post, we’ve seen that a hundred times from him.
The fact that Oldman’s biggest challenger might be Timothee Chalamet (Call me by Your Name) speaks to how big a front-runner Oldman is. While Chalamet is impressive, it’s going to be tough for a voter to give it to the kid when a seasoned veteran like Gary Oldman is sitting right there playing Winston Churchill.
Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama (Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri)
The fact that McDormand didn’t have to go against Ronan and Robbie here made this a lay-up. The only legit challenger was Sally Hawkins (The Shape of Water). The locks for Best Actress nominations are McDormand, Ronan, Robbie and Hawkins. You can pencil them in right now. Done.
The real question is who gets that fifth spot. That’s where the real intrigue lies. I know people don’t want to hear this, but brace yourself for another Meryl Streep (The Post) nomination. Jessica Chastain (Molly’s Game) could definitely swoop in as well. Let’s also not forget that Judi Dench (Victoria & Abdul) got the SAG nomination.
Like I said, that last spot offers a lot of intrigue.
Best Motion Picture – Drama (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri)
I’ve covered the Oscars for a long time, and I usually have a good grasp on who the Best Picture front-runner is by now. I have absolutely no clue what movie is in the driver’s seat. The obvious answer a month ago was Call me by Your Name. That momentum has completely evaporated.
When I saw Three Billboards, I knew it would be up for a bunch of awards, but I never felt it was Best Picture winner level. Now we have to take it seriously. I could still see Dunkirk pulling it off. Or Get Out. And Lady Bird. The Shape of Water too. I suppose Call me by Your Name could get back into the mix as well. I’ve never been this lost before so close to the Oscars! SOMEBODY HELP ME!
Once the DGA nominations are announced this Thursday, it’s going to speak VOLUMES as to what the true contenders are. That’s a big day.
Until then, I’m perfectly fine. Nolan will win Best Director. I’m totally calm.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5UJea_Bl_Y
